The Strategic, The Penal, and The Heroic (Masters Edition)

[Jason Thurman]

Man I love the way Augusta blends The Strategic (1), The Penal (12), and The Heroic (15). What are your favorite features? Are there single holes that have elements of all three schools? What the hell school do you call 16? Discuss.

[Jason Thurman]

Pretty sure 17 just made Li cry. That surely makes it Penal.


Though there is something delightfully strategic about a pin on this back left lobe. Interesting to see so many guys playing long for the apparently easy (for them) up and down

[John McCarthy]

I could watch people of all skill levels play 15 for hours.  I can't spin my wedges and if it is played as a three shotter just chunking a wedge to the front would be ok.  I think it is harder for the true superior player thinking 3.  The pin today was very available. 

[Ally Mcintosh]

Man I love the way Augusta blends The Strategic (1), The Penal (12), and The Heroic (15). What are your favorite features? Are there single holes that have elements of all three schools? What the hell school do you call 16? Discuss.

15 is purely penal I would have thought.... I reckon 13 is much more heroic.

[Thomas Dai]

Have the penal and heroic elements been reduced, especially over the last decade or so, given that so many shorter shots now seem to be played into greens? Just asking.
Atb

[Jeff Schley]

I'm not starting yet another thread as there are so many but where did ESPN come up with the 135 slope rating they are displaying at the bottom of the course difficulty of ANGC for the tourney?
http://www.espn.com/golf/stats/hole

[Matt MacIver]

Is #13 all three?  The strategy on the tee shot comes from choosing a lesser club to land on the flats near the creek on the left vs. hitting driver and being on the side slope.  The heroic comes from going for the green in two when in the right pine straw.  The penal comes from Rae’s Creek.  Don’t know if this all works but it’s my favorite hole in golf-dom. 

[Ally Mcintosh]

Going for a green over a water hazard is an example of penal design though. The heroic in 13 comes from cutting as much of the corner as possible (if this is indeed desirable) on the drive.

[Jason Thurman]

There must be a fine line on some of these things. 13's second shot has probably become penal for the pros - they basically have to go for it, almost all can get in position to do so from a <200 yardage, and making the carry isn't all that big a rush I'd imagine.


For me, it feels like it would present a hell of a strategic decision after a (rare) good tee shot. And I'd feel one heroic rush if I made it on.


I can understand the idea that "forced carry=penal," but when the carry is over a 4 yard wide creek with myriad options for how to negotiate from inside 100 yards, and modern equipment in the bag, it's hard for me to call the approach to Azalea penal without feeling like a pansy.